"But as for what actually happened, I'm not clear on the details. I only heard news of Ye Tianba's death shortly afterward."
"Father, have you ever heard anything about the Yunmeng Mountain Secret Realm?" Li Wanqing suddenly interrupted to ask.
Li Xuanying started, then looked at her. "How do you know about the Yunmeng Mountain Secret Realm?"
Li Wanqing didn't answer, simply fixing her gaze on him.
After a brief silence, Li Xuanying sighed. "Very well, I will tell you. The Yunmeng Mountain Secret Realm does indeed exist, and it holds tremendous opportunities within."
"However, entering the secret realm requires specific conditions, and the risks are extremely high. I can assert that that boy died two and a half days ago precisely because he failed to meet those conditions and forced his way in."
"Father, do you know who told Tianba about the Yunmeng Mountain Secret Realm in the first place?" Li Wanqing pressed further.
Li Xuanying shook his head. "That I do not know. But what I can tell you is that whoever it was, it certainly wasn't anyone from our Li Family."
"I understand." Li Wanqing nodded, already forming her own suspicions in her heart.
At that moment, a servant hurried in, bowed, and whispered a few words into Li Xuanying's ear. Li Xuanying's expression changed drastically, though with Li Wanqing standing right beside them, he could not readily vent his anger.
"You may withdraw for now. I will have the steward come find you later."
Once the servant acknowledged the order and left, Li Wanqing had no intention of lingering.
"Since Father has matters to attend to, Wanqing will take her leave first."
She stood up, gave Li Xuanying a deep look, and turned to walk out of the study.
Just as she was about to cross the threshold, Li Xuanying suddenly called out to her.
"Wanqing, wait." He stood up, walked over to her, and spoke in a solemn tone. "This time when you return, are you still planning to go back to the Ye Estate?"
Li Wanqing froze slightly, then nodded. "Yes, Father."
"Do you know the current situation at the Ye Estate?"
"Ever since Ye Tianba's death, internal strife has been endless within the Ye Family. If you go back, I'm afraid you will only be dragged into it."
"Father, I know."
"Yet Xuan'er is still in the Ye Estate! He is my only son—if the Li Family and the Ye Family refuse him, I must accept him!" Li Wanqing replied firmly.
Little did she know, the trace of low-level spiritual sense lingering behind flickered slightly.
Li Xuanying fell silent for a moment, then pulled a celadon jade vial from his robes and handed it to Li Wanqing.
"What good is reaching the Bone Tempering Realm if your foundation is damaged and you cannot even protect yourself? How can you hope to keep your son safe?"
"This is... the Hunyuan Foundation-Restoring Pill?"
After taking the vial and opening it, a rich medicinal fragrance immediately wafted out.
The Hunyuan Foundation-Restoring Pill was nearly dish-shaped and oval, with a yellowish-brown color and a hard texture.
This pill contained the purest Hunyuan Qi between heaven and earth, capable of penetrating deep into a cultivator's body straight to the origin, meticulously repairing any damaged foundation.
Whether it was a foundation shaken by improper cultivation or hidden injuries and chronic ailments sustained in battle, the Hunyuan Foundation-Restoring Pill could use its unique medicinal power to gently yet powerfully nourish the foundation, mend cracks, and strengthen the source.
What moved Li Wanqing even more was the extreme rarity of this pill; even across the entire Northern Region, it was seldom seen in the secular world.
"Go."
Li Xuanying turned his back to her and waved his hand.
At that instant, Li Wanqing felt for the first time that her father's figure seemed far more aged than in her memories.
An indescribable emotion welled up in her chest, and her eye rims grew slightly red, but she ultimately held back her tears. Without saying anything more, she gripped the jade vial tightly and turned to leave the study.
Inside the Ye Estate courtyard, Ye Tianxuan sat alone, his gaze profound and piercing, as if it could pierce through the void and reach the nine heavens.
In one hand, he toyed with the token given to him by Zhao Wanling, while in the palm of his other hand, Karmic Fire flickered faintly.
"Five Viscera Realm..."
Ye Tianxuan murmured to himself.
He was king among his peers. If he entered the selection for inner disciples of the Xuanqi Sect and wanted to win easily without worrying his mother, breaking through to the Early Five Viscera Realm as soon as possible was the safest course.
The Five Viscera Realm was a crucial turning point in martial arts cultivation.
Upon stepping into this realm, a cultivator's Yuan Qi would undergo a miraculous transformation. Not only would they be able to manipulate the Yuan Qi of heaven and earth at will, but they would also condense their own ocean of Yuan Qi, bringing about a qualitative leap in their strength.
Beneath the bright full moon, he took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and began to mobilize the Yuan Qi within his body, following the cultivation method of the God and Demon Body Refining Formula to refine the Karmic Fire.
The Karmic Fire left behind after forming a pact with the Southern Peak Ugly Ox Fire Demon contained immense power.
During his recent battle with the experts of the Wang Family, if Zhao Wanling had not stepped in to help in time, he could hardly guarantee he wouldn't have suffered a backlash.
Closing his eyes and steadying his mind, Ye Tianxuan shifted his thoughts, and the Karmic Fire instantly transformed into a fire dragon that soared straight into the clouds.
The fire dragon coiled in the void, finally turning into a pillar of fire that enveloped Ye Tianxuan entirely.
The process of refining the Karmic Fire was far from easy. Within the pillar of fire, Ye Tianxuan felt as though he had been plunged into a sea of flames.
The power of the Karmic Fire was violent and scorching, wisps of it slithering through his meridians. Every movement brought a piercing pain, as if his meridians were being torn apart.
As time passed, Ye Tianxuan's skin began to flush red from the burning heat of the Karmic Fire.
Inside his body, his Yuan Qi surged frantically, constantly colliding and merging with the Karmic Fire.
Gradually, Ye Tianxuan felt a subtle change begin within his Yuan Qi.
The Yuan Qi previously scattered across his meridians started to gather into a spinning vortex of Yuan Qi.
The vortex spun faster and faster, as if it wanted to swallow everything around it.
Finally, at a certain moment, the Yuan Qi vortex inside his body shuddered violently, and a powerful force erupted from within him.
The surrounding space seemed torn apart by this force, emitting a series of muffled booms.
The Early Five Viscera Realm—he had finally broken through!
Ye Tianxuan abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp beam of light flashing from them.
Feeling the heaven-shaking transformation of power within his body, he stood up and stretched his limbs. Immediately, a mighty strength surged from him, as though it could destroy everything nearby.
Ye Tianxuan nodded in satisfaction, sensing through his low-level spiritual sense that no danger surrounded his mother.
He stretched lazily and turned to walk toward his newly renovated room.
Crack!
Inside the main hall of the Ye Estate's second branch, a teacup was hurled with great force against the threshold, shattering with a crisp snap.
Half a cup of tea splashed across a servant's coarse cloth trousers.
"What blind luck did this bastard stumble into? He actually broke through to the Five Viscera Realm?"
Ye Zhengwen paced back and forth across the hall with his hands behind his back, his expression so gloomy it seemed ink could drip from it, his eyes flashing with vicious intent.
"Family Head, this boy Ye Tianxuan is extraordinarily talented, and now he has the favor of a Xuanqi Sect grandmaster. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to lay a hand on him from now on."
"Ye Tianxuan's breakthrough this time is indeed no small threat to us."
Another member of the Ye Family spoke cautiously, fear flickering in his eyes.